Contacting Recruiter Before Connecting with Office Consultants?

Question

Hello,

Background: before formally applying, I have tried to connect with MBB consultants in a particular office, but to no avail.

My question: Would it be a bad idea to connect with the recruiter for that office, despite not having talked to any of the office's consultants and not having submitted my app?

Additional Info: My fear is the recruiter will ding me for 1) not having shown interest because I haven't spoken to consultants (despite trying) and 2) can't advocate for me if they wish to, since I have yet to formally apply.

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi there,

What is your goal when connecting with a recruiter? HR cannot refer you in any case.

I would rather refine the strategy to connect with consultants (who instead can refer you).

You can find more on how to do that at the following link:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hey-everyonehope-all-is-well-3176

Best,

Francesco

Answer 2

Hi there,

Here's your first problem: "I have tried to connect with MBB consultants in a particular office"

Please don't be so narrow in your networking! The first rule of networking is to cast your net wide! Reach out to literally anyone at any level in any region at the company you're interested in! Then, play "tag" to get closer to your office...if you get a referral before then, fantastic!

Feel free to send me a message and we can talk through my formulaic approach to maximizing your networking efforts!

You are not doing networking right. Before reaching out to the recruiter, take another stab at networking the right way :)

Answer 3

Hey there!

Well, it is always better to network before applying. However, I don't see any problmes here. It is not an obligatory part of the process, just gives you some insigts and useful information. And you always can continue your netwroking during the application process.

Hope it helps!

GB